The Darkest Light
by Kitty Banes
Summary: Princess Celestia's secret assassination group, known as the Black Hoof, has two new members: a sarcastic mare and her insane cousin.
1. Chapter 1

"Kill them. But do not, under any circumstances, kill the foals Vincent."

Celestia's words ran around his head as he stared down at the sleeping mare and the stallion. They had taken the foals, Artemis and Cookie  
-he rolled his eyes at the latters name- from their dead parents and had brought them to Canterlot, something that had irked Princess Celestia greatly. But why the princess should care for the keeping of two insignificant foals, he couldn't think of.

She had offered great pay as well: 10,000 bits. He wondered why she would pay a young, inexperienced member of the Black Hoof so much for what seemed a easy job. He was just out of foalhood and had only just joined.

And then a private audience...

"Bring the foals to the Black Hoof and train them to become members. I will be following up with their progress."

He shook his head. The job had to be done, no matter the reasoning behind it. And the number one rule in the Black Hoof was to never question Celestia's orders.

He made quick work of it; Celestia wanted them to make quick work of it, although Vincent did so enjoy it when it was messy.

He exited the room, trotting to the room where the foals slept. He nudged the door open, praying to Luna that they would be asleep. Thankfully, the foals slept. His ears pricked at the sound of their snoring, creeping over to where one slept.

She was small for a unicorn, but she was almost out of foal hood. Her wavy hair was blue with salmon pink streaks, her coat was a glossy white, typical of a Canterlot pony.

The other one was also a unicorn, with straight black hair and green streaks and a grey coat. She occasionally twitched and her sleep, muttering and jerked every minute.

Vincent shook his dark grey head. Time for the abduction. His partner, Mathieu , a red pegasus with black hair, walked in, done with eliminating the guards.

Time for the abduction.


	2. Chapter 2

2 years later

Artemis POV

Her hoofs made no noise as she walked out of the forest, stepping onto the fallen leaves. Stealth was an art that she'd perfected in her training in the Black Hoof. Her dark blue eyes narrowed, assessing the lone house on the outskirts of Canterlot. No guards. Odd. A noble usually had two guards but if the fool wanted to be lax on his security, then it just made things easier for her.

This was her first solo mission, a test to prove that she was worthy to officially become a member of the Black Hoof. Cookie, insane since their abduction from their guardians house, had already passed her test. Cookie had already been edgy since Selene and Maximus's, Artemis's parents, deaths but the deaths of Jade and Vadmar, the nobles that took them in, had pushed her over the edge...

Artemis shook her head. No use in lingering in the past. She preferred not

to remember any of it. The Black Hoof was her life. She was doing the greatest service to Celestia, as Vincent had said, by being the best assassin that she could possibly be.

Cautiously looking around, Artemis snorted. Whoever let his security become this bad was obviously an idiot and would make for an easy kill.

She made a quick dash across the manicured yard, admiring the blue, purple, yellow, and orange flowers as she went. She always did have a thing for flowers, romance as well, although she never told her fellow Back Hoof members for fear of them teasing her mercilessly. Not even Cookie knew of her secret weakness. No one would ever know. She knew better than to trust somepony ever again.

Spotting an open window, Artemis stopped. Nobles were too richly educated to be this foolish with their lives. Either this noble had a death wish, or something was up.

She ducked down behind a vase, her ears pricking at the sound of hoof steps. Peeking around the vase, she spotted a guard walking up to the pool, and laid down on one of the seats surrounding it.

Snorting softly, Artemis magicked a tiny, poisonous dart of of the pouch that was wrapped around her stomach, hidden under her black cloak. Aiming for his throat, the dart was suddenly shooting through the air and lodged itself in the guards throat. He made no sound; the dart was lathered in a paralysis poison that would paralyze the victims limbs, and soon go to the heart, killing its victim slowly.

She crept up to the guards' body, taking the keys to the mansion from his pouch. Keeping an eye out for the other guard, she unlocked the glass door and slipped into the house.

"Halt!"

Artemis whipped around. The guard stood in the other room, his eyes narrowed.

Magicking her sword out of her belt, she slipped into attack position, ready for whatever attack the guard would use on her.

"You have trespassed on Lord Rafaras's property and murdered my associate! You have twenty seconds to leave the premises before the Canterlot Guards are called to dispose of you!"

The guards were better at making speeches than doing their actual job: guarding.

Before the guard could move, the knife was going through his chest to his heart. The guard choked, coughing up blood before falling to the now bloody floor with a thump.

Stepping over the body, she went up the stairs, not even bothering to be silent. She pricked her ears when she heard snoring coming from the second room. How somepony could sleep deeply over all the yelling and bloodshed was beyond her.

Standing over her victim, Artemis leaned over so her mouth was at his ear as her knife hovered over his head.

"May your soul be torn apart in the afterlife."

The knife pierced Rafaras's skull, quieting his screams.

It was over. Her initiation was complete.


End file.
